Scripture Analysis #10

As my knowledge of the Old Testament has grown throughout this semester, I have been able to incorporate more information into my perception of the scripture passage that I chose. Genesis 11:1-9 depicts the story of the Tower of Babel and it has effectively raised a few questions and concerns in my mind since I started my initial scripture analysis. Based on the original passage, the Tower of Babel represented mankinds desire to reach the heavens in order to accompany the divine. Essentially, mankind was completely united upon a plain in the land of Shinar, where they devised a plan to create a tower that reached all the way to heaven. The tower, made of brick and bitumen, was supposed to create respect for mankind and its unity, but this act would have defied God's intention to "fill the earth." As a result, in order to preserve the physical boundaries between humanity and the "divine," God separated mankind and scrambled their common language. Then He named mankind's creation the "Tower of Babel," which represented the confusion that He had created between the formerly united humans. In the time that this passage was written, this story probably would have discouraged the people of the world. The passage is written as if the story has already happened; therefore, the people who read this story would have already known that the world was filled with humanity. If I would have heard this story immediately after it actually came to fruition, I would have been highly upset with the way that God handled the situation. The main issue that concerns me most about this passage is the fact that God purposefully separated the humans, even though they were obviously unified. In our modern culture, the common theme of "world peace" is sought after by an incredible amount of people all over the world. It is something that will probably never be

achieved while mankind has its differences. Wars, debt, and other factors hinder any possible ideas for peace among the worlds nations. Every time I read this passage, it never ceases to arouse a sense of bitterness for Gods actions. In this story, while mankind is in a position that our era could only dream of, God steps in and ruins the unity that our society so desperately seeks. As I've come to interpret this passage, it continues to be disheartening to read through God's actions in that particular moment. I dont think Im the only person from this generation that would be bothered by this text. For example, my mother and I discuss the importance of family whenever we get a chance. Both of us have always been the more patient of our family members, so we represent the bitumen that holds our family together. Now, there obviously would have been conflict between the people that were united in Shinar if God wouldnt have separated them. Internal struggles and domestic violence would have probably occurred at some point, driving them apart on their own. This is seen in many families around the world, and it is applicable to mine as well. My family definitely has its differences from time to time. The most important aspect of being a family, which I think the people of Shinar could have been, is the fact that we work things out when there is strife. What would have come of these people if God wouldnt have dispersed them? The only difference between the people of Shinar and my family is that there isnt a divine presence stepping in to separate us. They got along as a family, with a common language and goal to achieve, but God seemed to think that it was more important to fill the earth than to keep His people in together. His plan for these people was obviously not a mistake, but I believe that they could have populated the earth over time just as efficiently as God did in a split second. It seems to me that Gods faith in humanity was tested when he thought we were powerful enough break the barrier between heaven and earth. The Tower of

Babel represented our desire to break that barrier, and even though we now know that it is scientifically impossible to reach the heavens from Earth, I dont agree with the fact that God should have kept us from it.